The present invention relates in general to an installation tool, and more particularly, to an installation tool adapted for driving leader hooks of different shapes into the side of a building and the like for supporting a leader of a gutter system.
Known leader hooks are constructed to include a head having a shape designed to receive a leader and a spike for securing the leader hook into the side of a building. The spike is driven by means of a projecting shoulder extending outwardly from the spike using a hammer or other such compression tool. The difficulty in installing the known leader hooks has arisen as a result of the shoulder being relatively narrow and difficult to engage with blows of a compression tool. To this end, the present invention provides an installation tool in the nature of a cap having an enlarged anvil surface and adapted to receive the head and shoulder of a known leader hook. As leader hooks may be either of rectangular or circular shape, the installation tool is adapted to accommodate either shape, thereby avoiding the necessity of having to maintain a separate tool for each shape leader hook. In addition, as the compressive force is to be applied directly to the shoulder of the spike, the installation tool is provided with an abutment which permits efficient transfer of the compressive force thereto, while minimizing loss of the compressive force to the remaining portion of the leader hook.
An installation tool adapted for driving round-headed staples by application of a direct compressive force is known from U.S. Pat. No. 1,914,257. The staple installation tool is constructed of a handle supporting a head adapted to receive the rounded head of the staple and an anvil surface in general alignment with the spike of the staple. In driving the staple, a compressive force, for example, direct hammer blows, is applied to the anvil surface. However, the compressive force is applied not only to the staple's spike, but equally to its rounded head. This renders the staple installation tool unsuitable for use in driving leader hooks when installing leaders of generally thin walled construction, as found in gutter systems.
In this regard, the head of a leader hook is not constructed to withstand the compressive force necessary for driving the leader hook without causing its bending and permanent distortion. This bending of the leader hook head can result in the crushing of the thin walled leaders during installation, thereby necessitating their replacement. In addition, as the known staple installation tool is adapted solely to accommodate staples having a rounded head, such tool will not avoid the necessity of having to maintain a separate tool of a different shape, so as to accommodate leader hooks which may be either of rectangular or circular shape.
There is also known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 682,681, 981,278, 1,914,257, 2,089,907, 2,462,774, 2,642,105, 2,849,718, and 3,228,269 a variety of installation tools for driving miscellaneous objects, for example, nails, spikes, eye-screws and the like. These installation tools are likewise unsuitable for driving leader hooks into the side of a building for supporting a leader of a gutter system.
Accordingly, there is an unsolved need for an installation tool adapted to accommodate leader hooks of different shape and having an anvil surface adapted for applying direct compressive force to a shoulder on the leader hook, so as to minimize the application of such force to the hook's head.